DYK Amitabh Bachchan Wasn't The First Choice For His Now Iconic Film Zanjeer?

Zanjeer is known as the magical film that turned the career graph of Amitabh Bachchan upon its release in 1973 and gave Bollywood its new Angry Young Man. With 51 years passing by since its release on May 11, 1973, let's take a look back at the time when the makers were casting for the film. Did you know Amitabh Bachchan who led the film was never in the makers' minds? It was these stars who were approached first.

Amitabh Bachchan wasn't the first choice for Zanjeer

Before Amitabh Bachchan, the scriptwriters for Zanjeer Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan approached several stars for the lead role. While their first priority was legendary Dharmendra, the role was then offered to actors Dilip Kumar, Raaj Kumar, and Dev Anand among others. While due to scheduling reasons and other factors, the film didn't pan out with any of the above actors. It was at this time when Jaya Bahaduri suggested Amitabh Bachchan's name and then the actor was roped in for the role.

Jaya Bahaduri played the female lead in the Prakash Mehra directorial film. With the film becoming a hit after its release on May 11, a month later on June 3, Amitabh and Jaya tied the knot.

What more do we know about Zanjeer?

Zanjeer not only shot up Amitabh Bachchan's career but the film is also said to be a turning point for South Indian cinema with Bachchan's acting inspiring Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. The film remains an important film in the history of Indian cinema and is regarded as a classic today. The film shifted the Hindi cinema in a violent and aggressive direction.

The film was not an immediate hit as it did not pick up initially, however, a few days into the release, Zanjeer became a rage and people flocked to the theatres to watch it repeatedly, according to Tribune India.

After Amitabh's role as Inspector Vijay in Zanjeer won over people's hearts, he was next seen in other action films Deewar and Trishul, also scripted by Salim-Javed duo. Amitabh's character in the above-mentioned films was also named Vijay.